The music of the Antebellum Era expressed the feelings of the two classes of people on Sea Island Plantations: the white plantation owners and the enslaved people. Listen to their songs as we weave a story through music that shows how life and important events were connected to the sounds of those people.
Recently, four Dataw Island residents presented a program of antebellum-era songs. The plantation owners and their families sang some. The enslaved people sang others.
The program included verses from these popular pieces:
- My Country Tis of Thee: Smith, Bates, Smith, Ward Musicus
2. Minuet in F: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3. Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
4. Oh, Freedom
5. Like A Dream: Mary Dana
6. Oh! Susanna: Stephen Collins Foster
7. Nearer my God to thee: Lowell Mason
8. Follow the Drinking Gourd
9. Go Down, Moses
10. Wade in the Water
11. Bonnie Blue Flag
12. Weeping Sad and Lonely: Tucker, Sawyer
13. Nobody Knows the Trouble I Had
14. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Wallace Willis
Here is a 50-minute video recording of the presentations and performances featuring Guy Apicella, Laura Riski, Diane Elvin, and Greg Elvin.